Precaution
by Shaw18
Summary: Voyager is badly damaged in an attack, while Janeway and Tom crash-land in enemy territory. Sorry bad description here.
1. Prologue

Star Trek Voyager

Precaution

Chapter 1

Prologue

It started as a dull pain in her leg, but it grew worse as she woke up. It made its way up to her waist and then even approached her lower back. The slightest movement gave her agony She moaned and her eyes flickered open. She heard a scuffle next to her, but wherever she was in right now, was too dark for her to see anything. There was though, the smell of smoke. The air was crisp and cold, which gave her the shivers through her wet uniform. "Hello," She asked her throat terribly dry, "Is there anyone here?"

"Captain," She heard Tom say as he sat up looking at her in the darkness. "You are awake."

"Where are we?" Janeway asked trying to sit up. She cried out when pain shot through her leg and up to her waist.

"I am not sure exactly," Tom said standing up. He approached a large stone and pulled out his phaser, firing it until the stone grew red hot. It also lit up the room a bit. "This will help with the temperature of the room." Tom paused as he replaced his phaser and then he approached Janeway. He neeled next to her and scanned her with a medical tricorder. He placed the tricorder away and then gave her a sedative before continuing, "Your leg was in pretty bad shape when we got here, I wish I could have healed it. But we are kind of limited here."

Janeway looked at Tom confused. "My leg?" She asked looking at her leg noticing the shredded and stained uniform. She glanced at Tom's uniform and was surprised that she didn't notice how dirty it was before.

"What is the last thing you remember?" Tom asked softly as massaged his arm that was previously burnt. Even though he healed it already, the area was still sore and felt as if the burn was still there.

Janeway sighed and scratched the back of her neck. She winced when pain shot up and down her back. Tom gave her a concerned look, but Janeway dismissed it. She knew had to be the strong one here. "The last thing I remember," Janeway said thinking back. "I remember cursing out my replicator because it burnt the dinner Chakotay and I were supposed to have."

"So you don't remember the Gintar and the Elmar?" Tom asked leaning against the cave wall. It was rigid and cold, but that didn't bother him too much. He enjoyed roughing it and with all the running he did back on Earth, this was just a picnic for him. "You don't remember how they attacked us?"

"No can't say I do," Janeway said looking at the fire and then at Tom. There was something in his eyes, that gave her the chills. It was like a kind of dark hatred that she had never seen in her usually calm helmsman "Who are they?"

Tom shook his head and then began, "Oh where to start." He paused and took a deep breath looking Janeway in the eye, "It all started about three days ago....."


	2. Red Alert

Star Trek Voyager: Precaution

Chapter 2 

Red Alert

**Three Days Earlier**

Harry stepped into the mess hall happy that he was finally able to sit down and eat something. He had been working a double shift on the bridge and although it was a rather easy job, the length was tiresome. He approached Neelix who was in the kitchen cooking. When Neelix saw Harry approaching, he looked at him happily and approached the counter wiping his hands on his apron. "What can I get for you today?" He asked leaning against the counter.

"Do you still have some of that Artilian crumb cake left over?" Harry asked hoping there was some. They had gotten the cake and other foods when Voyager needed dylithium. On that mission they met an alien species named the Artilians who not only helped Voyager find enormous amounts of dylithium in a nearby nebula, but also helped them replenish their food supply.

"Today is your lucky day Mr. Kim," Neelix said with a smile as he stepped into the kitchen. He approached a shelf and took out a small container. He turned around and grabbed a pitcher of coffee. He poured a cup for Harry and handed it to him. "That was our last piece, enjoy it."

Harry looked at the cake and then looked at Neelix. "Thanks a lot," He said taking a sip of the coffee. He turned and scanned the mess hall. It was oddly crowded, even at the hour. He saw Tom sitting in the far corner alone. Harry smiled and approached the table. When he got close enough he asked. "Can I join you?"

Tom looked up as he chewed and smiled briefly. "Sure sit down," He said swallowing as he pointed at the chair across from him.

Harry sat down and took another sip of his coffee enjoying its warmth and taste. Out of all the interesting foods Neelix liked to make, his coffee was the best. Tom looked at the cake Harry was eating and said with a smirk, "At least your food is normal," He paused and pushed his food around his plate with his fork. "Neelix begged me to eat whatever this is," Tom said about the greenish mush that had brown pieces of some kind of meat which had no taste, mixed inside. "He told me it was healthy and would wake me up, instead it is giving me a stomach ache."

"Yeah I made that mistake before a few times," Harry said chewing on a piece of the cake that was a bit stale, but still sweet. He was chewing on something that was a close resemblance to a raisin but was red and sweet. "I usually stick with his coffee."

"I should have done that," Tom said shaking his head tossing his fork on the plate. He took a sip of water and then asked, "Your shift just ended right?"

"Yeah," Harry said happily chewing on another piece of cake. "I had the night shift remember?"

"Now I do," Tom groaned, "We were supposed to have another Captain Proton adventure last night."

"I know and don't worry we will get to it," Harry said with a grin, "I guarantee it."

Tom didn't answer, but looked out of the mess hall window at a ship approaching Voyager fast. Harry looked up in time to see it fire two torpedoes. There was a loud explosion and Voyager shook violently. Harry and Tom looked at each other bewildered as the captain said, "All senior staff report to the bridge."

Harry and Tom stood up quickly and without a word they exited the mess hall. They silently made their way to the bridge and when they did so they immediately took their places. Voyager shook again and Tom held on to his console tightly to prevent himself from falling. Janeway shook her head and said, "Repeat the hail Tuvok. I want to know who the hell they are."

Tuvok didn't respond and glanced at the screen briefly as another ship came into view and began firing on Voyager. "They are not responding to our hails," Tuvok said looking at Janeway.

"Of course they aren't," Janeway mumbled glaring as the alien ships made another round. "Target the lead ship's weapons and fire phasers."

Tuvok nodded and fired phasers. It struck the closest ship and a small shield covered the ship. The ship moved away as the other ship positioned itself in between Voyager and the damaged ship. "Let's hope they talk now," Chakotay said looking at Janeway.

The other alien ship flew closer to Voyager, but still held its position in between Voyager and the damaged ship. It fired on Voyager again a small hole appearing in Voyager's outer hull. "Hull breach deck 4," Harry said looking at his computer, "Sections 8 through 10." He paused and held on to the console as Voyager shook again random sparks exploding throughout the bridge. "Emergency force fields in place."

"Guess again," Janeway smirked, "Tuvok target the other ship's weapons."

Tuvok did so and the alien ship moved out of Voyager range. "Maybe now we will get some answers." Janeway stood up and said, "To any of those alien ships out there. Who are you and why did you attack us?"

Chakotay stood up and approached Janeway. She looked at him and then back at the view screen waiting for a response that would never come. Instead there was a beeping sound and Harry looked up saying, "There are three more alien ships coming into weapons range."

"Where do our shields stand?" Janeway asked exhaling heavily. She returned to her seat and watched on the view screen as the other three ships entered view.

"Shields are currently at 55 percent efficiency." Tuvok said.

"That will have to do," Janeway said with a sigh, "Boy this has been some morning hasn't it?" She asked Chakotay who chuckled.

The three ships flew past Voyager and began firing on the other alien ships. Within seconds, the alien ships were over-powered and destroyed. The three alien ships approached and surrounded Voyager. "Sir they are hailing us," Harry said looking at the view screen.

"Finally," Janeway said standing up. She approached the view screen and said, "Open a channel."

A green colored alien appeared on the view screen. It had no nose and holes for ears. The eyes were slits and black. The alien had a large mouth full of teeth. "Who are you?" It bluntly asked.

"I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the star ship Voyager," Janeway said taking a step toward Tom Paris' console. "Who are you and why were we attacked?"

"You have entered the militarized zone between the Gintar and the Zelmar races," The alien said as the alien ships flew closer to Voyager. They immediately took an attacking formation. "We are the Gintar."

Communications was cut as the closest alien ship fired on Voyager. Janeway turned around and said, "At least we know who they are." Janeway returned to her seat as Voyager shook again even more violently than before. "Mr. Tuvok," Janeway ordered, "Target any of the ships weapons and fire at will."

Tuvok didn't answer but fired as Tom flew Voyager through the aliens weapons fire. A string of torpedoes struck the side of Voyager. Harry's console exploded in his face. He grabbed his face screaming in pain as he collapsed on the floor. Janeway jumped out of her seat and ran up to Harry. She grabbed him and turned his body over. She saw burns covering his face and the front of his uniform was charred black. "Janeway to sickbay," She said as Voyager shook again. "Medical emergency on the bridge."

There was another loud explosion and Janeway looked up as the front part of the bridge seemed to be engulfed in smoke. When the smoke subsided, Janeway saw Chakotay lying on the floor a deep gash directly on his tattoo. "No," She gasped getting up and approaching Chakotay. She felt for a pulse and was relieved when there was one. "Shields down to 30 percent," Tuvok said as Janeway returned to her seat.

"Tom get us out of here," Janeway said when there was another explosion.

"The warp drive is offline," Tom said frustrated as he punched his console bruising his knuckles.

Janeway watched as one of the enemy ships exploded. Parts of the debris floated into Voyager's hull, causing small hull breaches. "I don't know how much longer we can take a beating like this," Tom said trying to out-maneuver the alien ships weapons fire. The small ships were not a powerful as Voyager was, but they were a lot quicker and harder to target.

"There are three more enemy ships on an intercept course," Tuvok said looking at the view screen that went blank for a second.

Janeway bit her lower lip when she heard another explosion. There was a bright flash of light and when it subsided, she saw part of the ceiling was on the floor. There was a big bean that landed on top of Chakotay, whose face was covered in blood from the laceration on his head. She shook her head angrily and part of her wanted to tell her crew to man the escape pods, but what good would that do? The aliens they were fighting right now, would most likely destroy them.

Voyager shook again and Janeway wondered how much more her ship could take a beating like this. The alien ships flew under Voyager and fired on its hull. Explosions rocked Voyager and a computer in the back of the bridge exploded. Janeway looked in back of her as another beam fell from the ceiling, it landed on top of her before she could move out of the way. She cried out in pain and tried to push it off her leg but was unable to do so. The pain was horrible and it grew worse every time Voyager shook. Soon the pain overwhelmed her and everything turned dark.


	3. Escaped!

Star Trek Voyager

Precaution

Chapter 3

Escaped!

Janeway shook her head in disbelief ignoring the pain from her broken leg. She couldn't believe that she didn't remember any of the previous events. It really irked her. In fact the last thing she remembered, occurred a week and a half ago. She cleared her throat and winced when it hurt. Tom looked at her and grabbed some of the water he had taken off of the ship. He handed it to her and said, "I hope this will make you feel better."

Janeway smiled and took a sip of water. She felt immediate relief and took another sip before handing it back to Tom. "So how did we end up getting wherever we are?"

Tom sighed as he placed the water back with the food reserves. He paused and looked at the fiery stone for a few seconds as he heard in the back of his mind the explosions that rocked Voyager. He looked at Janeway and thought back to the attack.

_Tom looked back and saw Janeway trying to push a beam from the ceiling off her leg. He saw her fail and then pass out obviously from the strain. Voyager shook again violently as he stood up. He immediately lost his footing and fell on the floor. He crawled to Janeway and removed the beam from her leg. He grimaced at the sight of her bloody leg through her torn up uniform. "Damn," He cursed looking at the bridge as he gt back to his seat at the helm._

_He was the only one left standing at this moment and it gave him the shivers. There was another explosion and it brought Tom back to his senses. He tried his best to maneuver Voyager around the much small and faster enemy ships. There were now six and sensors picked up four more approaching. He transferred tactical control to his console and immediately fired phasers on all the ships._

_One of the alien ships exploded and its debris flew into Voyagers hull. Small explosions rocked the ship. Tom held on to his console so he wouldn't fall out of his seat. He flew Voyager around one of the ships and fired everything he had. Shields were currently at ten percent and he didn't know how much longer Voyager would last this fight. He looked back at Janeway and thought that he might be able to save the brew crew if he could transport them to escape pods. He beamed Janeway to the closest pod, that was two decks away. At that moment, there was a loud explosion and another beam from the ceiling fell in the place Janeway just laid. _

_He exhaled in relief and then went to beam Chakotay off the bridge, but to his dismay, he found the transporter offline. He shook his head as he stood up. He approached Chakotay and looked at his bloody face. He saw a piece of the floor protruding from his stomach. He was quite certain that he was dead, so he ran to Harry and saw his face was burnt severely. Voyager shook again violently and Tom cursed not liking the idea of leaving his comrades behind, but he didn't know if anyone survived. Tom ran off the bridge and stepped into the turbo lift, praying that it was still online. He was relieved when it in fact was. "Deck 4," He said leaning against the wall breathing heavily. _

_The turbo lift seemed to take forever to get to the 4th deck. Tom held his breath impatiently and tapped on the turbo lift walls as if it would make go faster. Finally he heard a wine and the turbo lift slowly came to a stop. As soon as the doors opened up, he ran out almost tripping over a fallen comrade. Voyager shook again and it seemed to get worse with every passing second. Smoke suddenly shot out from a panel making Tom jump and scream in pain when he felt his arm burn. Tom ignored the pain and continued toward the escape pods. It took him a few minutes, but he finally made it to the escape pod with Janeway in it. He saw she was still unconscious. "To any survivors," Tom said as he pressed badge, "Abandon ship, man your escape pods. I repeat abandon ship."_

_Tom programed the route the escape pod should take. Voyager shook again as the escape pod shot out into space. Tom hit his head on the wall and felt dizzy. The last thing he saw before he passed out, was a number of escape pods flying from Voyager and a handful of alien ships surrounding a damaged looking Voyager. _

Tom looked at Janeway and saw her biting her lower lip. She looked at him a deep pain in her eyes. He turned away ready for her to rebuke him for his actions. Instead she placed a hand on his knee and asked, "Do you know if anyone else survived?"

"No I don't," Tom said shaking his head slowly, "I tried to get off Voyager as soon as I told everyone to abandon the ship."

Janeway looked at the cave wall and sighed heavily. There was a sour taste in her mouth and she felt nauseous. She couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it. More of crew survived; they had to. There was no way that only her and Tom were the only ones alive. Yes, Voyager may have been destroyed, but there had to have been more escape pods that made it to wherever they are. "You did the right thing," Janeway said softly looking at her battered and broken leg.

Tom saw her looking at her leg and he knew exactly what was going through her mind. He wished he could heal it, but there was no way. "What is the outside like?" Janeway asked after a moments pause.

"I am not so sure," Tom said shaking his head, "It was nighttime when i brought you into this cave and I haven't left your side ever since."

"I am glad this is an oxegyn based atmosphere," Janeway said with have a grin.

Tom chuckled as he took a sip of water. He handed it to Janeway and she shook her head, not wanting any. Tom replaced the water and shook his head in dismay. Janeway knew exactly what was going through Tom's mind right now. Not only was he worried about the his health, her own health and if Voyager survived, but he really missed Belanna the most.

Tom sighed again and looked around the interior of the cave. There was a dull ache in his heart and he wasn't sure if it was from missing Belanna or from the knowledge that he and Janeway were the only survivors from their crew. Tom rubbed his arm that he had burned before. It was scarred, but it still felt burned and sometimes it even hurt. "It is bothering you is it?" Janeway asked with a strained smile. She began to feel a sharp pain in her leg and she knew the sedative was wearing off. "Even though it is healed."

"The skin is still sore," Tom said looking at Janeway. He noticed she was in pain and knew that it would only get worse as time grew on. "I don't really have the best medical tools here."

"Listen to me Tom," Janeway sternly said. She made sure he was looking at her and she saw the pain in his heart. She also felt it and she knew that it would get worse. "You did the best you could there. For all we know there are more escape pods and they are searching for us." She paused and looked at her leg briefly. She wondered how bad her leg really was, but there was no way to tell at this moment.

"I know what you are trying to tell me Captain," Tom said softy, looking away from Janeway. "But the pain to much for me right now."

"Do you think you are the only one hurting?" Janeway asked as Tom looked at his eyes tearing. "I wake up to find that almost my whole crew may be dead and I have no memory of it?" She paused and leaned forward ignoring the sharp pains that shot up and down her back. "Both of us are hurting and I know how bad it is, but right now we have to set aside the pain and work on a way to survive this place."

Tom looked at the ground and flicked a pebble that bounced off the wall. He knew Janeway was right. The only way to survive was to push aside the pain and find food and water. Tom stood up and brushed the dirt off his uniform. "I am going to search for food," He said looking at Janeway as a small and bearly visible smile appeared on her face. "Will you be alright?"

"I can't really go anywhere," Janeway smirked looking at her leg.

Tom looked at her leg briefly and said before he left the cave, "I will be back as soon as possible."


	4. Help Comes

**Star Trek Voyager**

**Precaution**

Chapter 4

Help Comes

Gelvar walked out out of the conference room and hurried to the ambassador's office. Something big just happened and the High Council needed to know about it. He had just found out that the friendly Alpha Quadrant bound ship was trapped in the demilitarize zone and was currently under attack. Long range sensors told him that the ship wouldn't be able to defend themselves much longer.

Gelvar stepped into the elevator and he pressed for it to go to the main office. He was in a rush and hoped the High Council would allow him to lead in the rescuing of the Voyager crew. He found the crew rather interesting and he especially like Neelix. During Neelix' visit to the planet, he had showed him all the delicacies that the humans enjoyed. There was something called chocolate that he enjoyed the sweetness of it.

The elevator came to a halt and when the doors slid open, Gelvar stepped out. It would take a few more minutes until he reached the ambassador's office. He pushed his way through the crowded walkway, ignoring the occasional glare and angry complain. He knew time was an essence and nothing would stop him. He hurried into a small room and put his hand under a large external computer screen as a red beam shot out scanning him. It took a few seconds for him to be cleared through security, but once the chip in his hand was cleared he was transported out of the small room and into the main office.

He looked at the Ambassador and bowed quickly before approaching him. The ambassador stood up as Gelvar approached the table. "What is the problem?" He asked looking at Gelvar.

"The Delta Quadrant bound ship is under attack in the demilitarize zone," Gelvar said hoping that the High Council would help Voyager.

"I know," The Ambassador said pacing around the office as he continued, "But they are not our problem."

"How could you say that?" Gelvar asked shocked at the response he got, "They are our friends and helped us with some of our problems."

"That is true," He said turning and approaching a table that was covered with pads. He picked one up and skimmed it as he said, "The Voyager crew, as hospitable as they were, are aliens."

"So," Gelvar said shaking his head in dismay. He knew with every passing moment, helping Voyager pull through would be less likely.

"Do you know why we have built such a successful empire?" The Ambassador asked turning to face Gelvar. When Gelvar didn't answer he continued, "The reason is, because we limit ourselves to alien contact." He paused and then continued softly, "Yes it was wrong to allow ourselves to come into contact with Voyager, but they did help us and they weren't a violent species."

"That is exactly why we should help them out," Gelvar begged, "Voyager is in trouble. They weren't prepared."

"I do find the fact that their species have many different kind of nutrients and so tasty too," He said with a little of a spacy look as he felt himself salavate at the thought.

"Voyager is one ship," Gelvar pleaded. "They are on a journey to their home world."

"I know where they are going and what happened to them," The Ambassador said with an annoyed wave of the hand. He paused and leaned closely, "Take whatever you need and bring Voyager back here to help them repair their ship."

"Thank you," Gelvar said happily as he bowed before leaving the room. Now it was time to help out a new friend.

XXXX

Tom stepped into the cave as he wiped his brow. He looked at Janeway who was fast asleep as he set the suit case that was filled with a variety of fruits he found. He was thankful that the planet was full of fruit, even if the weather conditions were a little bit harsh. The temperature was hotter than it usually was on Earth. Plus the air was a little bit harder to breathe, but it certainly wasn't life threatening.

Janeway stirred slightly as Tom opened the case. He took out the fruits and inspected them. He hoped they tasted good and wouldn't kill them. He remember a fruit that Neelix once spoke about, that when you ate it, the fruit would kill you within minutes. In the beginning your stomach would slowly swell as the juices from the fruit would slowly suffocate you. Basically you'd die feeling bloated.

Janeway stirred again and sat up, groaning her leg hurting her more than usual. She looked at Tom as he set down a fruit and reached for a hypo-spray. "How are you feeling?" Tom asked already knowing the answer.

Janeway chuckled and shook her head as Tom gave her a mild sedative to alleviate the pain. "I would rather fight the Borg," She said as Tom set the hypo-spray down. "At least I would be moving."

Tom smiled and handed one of the fruits to Janeway. She took it and looked at it briefly before taking a bite. The fruit was really dry and sour and she immediately spit it out. "Sorry," She said with a strained smile, "It tasted terrible."

Tom laughed and bit another fruit. This fruit was sweet and juicy. He smiled as he chewed and reached for the same fruit. He handed it to Janeway and said, "This one is good."

Janeway smiled at Tom and took a bite of the fruit. Its sweet taste was overwhelming, almost making her choke. "This is good," She said with the smile as she swallowed.

"I wish we got some word of anything," Tom sighed as he took another bite. He wiped away juice that dribble on to his chin., pretending Janeway didn't see anything.

"Same here," Janeway said trying not to show her pain. There was constantly pain shooting up and down her leg and recently it began to hurt when she breathed deeply. "All we need to do right now is survive and Voyager will find us."

XXXX

Chakotay opened his eyes and found himself in a room he didn't recognize. A wave of confusion passed through him as he wondered what happened and how he got here. He sat up slowly, but collapsed back on the bed as he began to feel dizzy. As soon as he this happened, he heard Belanna say, "Oh good your awake."

"Where are we?" Chakotay asked his throat suddenly feeling dry.

"I am not sure exactly," Belanna said shaking her head as she sat up in bed. Her burn wounds from the warp core were completely healed and all she was feeling right now was a bit of soreness. "I woke up here a few minutes ago."

Chakotay slowly turned his head as he heard someone groan on the other side of the room. He saw Harry slowly sit up, holding his head in his heands. "Are you okay Harry?" Chakotay asked sitting up as he ignored the dizziness and the slight pain. Once he was sitting up he felt better.

"Yeah I am fine," Harry said looking at Chakotay. He slid out of bed and scanned the interior of the room. There were six beds and the wall was filled with screens and computers. "We are definitely not on Voyager anymore."

"Do you whoever was attacking us took over Voyager?" Belanna asked sliding out of bed. She approached a computer and began to fins out whatever she could. "That doesn't seem right," Belanna said confused as she searched through database about their where abouts. "It says we are on the Artilian home world."

"That can't be," Harry said confused as he approached Belanna.

A door slid open as an alien stepped in. "Gelvar?" Chakotay asked looking at him perplexed.

"Hello Chakotay," Gelvar said bowing slightly as he approached his bed. "It is good to see all of you guys okay and well, after we found you guys, I thought the worst."

"How is Voyager doing?" Chakotay asked sliding out of bed with Gelvar's help.

"Your ship was badly damaged," Gelvar said as Chakotay paced around the room. "But repairs are doing well."

"That is good," Chakotay said as Belanna and Harry approached him. He looked at him briefly as he said, "Do you know where Captain Janeway is?"

"I am sorry," Gelvar said sadly as he shook his head. He looked at them briefly "All but two of your crew has been accounted for." He paused and took a deep breath, "Commander, Captain Janeway and Tom Paris are missing."


	5. Twisted

**Star Trek Voyager Precaution**

Chapter 5

Twisted

Tom paused and took a deep breath as he wiped the sweat off his brow. The humidity was getting worse and it was still only morning. He had made sure Janeway had everything she needed before he went to search for more water and food. She was getting worse everyday and he wasn't sure how to fix her leg. He already had a brace that he made from part of his uniform and tree branches.

Tom stood up and yawned loudly as he shifted the empty sack on his back. It was uncomfortable now and he didn't want to think about how much more uncomfortable it would be when it was filled with water. Tom sighed and then continued walking, while his thoughts drifted to Voyager.

Even though he knew he did everything to try and save as many of his crew mates as possible, it still bothered him that he had know idea if they were okay or not. Tom wiped his brow as he jogged down the dirt path. He saw a clearing up ahead and noticed a body of water. He smiled as he reached for his tricorder.

He scanned the water and then cursed as the scan showed this water had a chemical called trydorathin which was an extremely piousness toxin. Tom replaced the tricorder and picked up a large tree branch that he saw on the ground. He continued on his search as he used as a walking stick.

Tom shook his head and spit out some sweat that dripped into his mouth. The temperature kept getting hotter and he still had to walk back to the caves. He knew the temperatures in the caves was cooler and couldn't wait to get back. While he was in the caves, Janeway spent a lot of her time seeping and when she wasn't he discussed his childhood with her.

Tom jumped over a tree stump as he sang a Klingon song that Belanna had taught him during one of their dates. The song was about a fearless warrior on the battle grounds and how he defended his home against hordes of ruthless foes. The song was one of the very few that Belanna knew. He did find it though, that he was singing a Klingon song. Belanna was half Klingon and she didn't follow a lot of the beliefs. She did tell him about her troubled childhood and her being a Klingon was the only reason, because of that it made her hard to follow any Klingon beliefs.

Suddenly something caught his eyes as if it fluttered in the wind. He turned and approached it with a perplexed look on his face. The object was caught on a tree branch and looked like it was a Starfleet uniform. Tom reached out and removed it from the tree. He looked at it and saw it had blood stains and burn marks on it. It had two large rips in it. "What the hell?" He asked when he noticed it belonged to Captain Janeway.

XXX

Belanna was laying on her back under a large computer with a flash light on her wrist and a repair device in the other hand. She had the light pointed at an open compartment and waved the repair device over it. "Okay try it now," She said to Seven as she turned the repair device off and set it down next to her.

Seven turned and approached the computer next to Belanna. She reached out and pressed a button on the screen. The engineering lights turned on and then there a small explosion when sparks shot out of the computer. The lights turned off and Belanna cursed punching the computer. "Tz'chak!" She cursed.

"What happened?" Seven asked watching Belanna try to repair the computer again.

"It is the main deflector," Belanna said exhaling loudly. She had been trying to repair the main deflector for the past three hours . Once she got back the ship, it shocked her how damaged it really was from the attack. "It just doesn't have enough power."

Belanna scanned the compartment again as she mumbled to herself. She hoped it would work this time, because the main deflector was an important part in repairing the ship. "Try it again," Belanna said as she turned off the repair device.

Seven pushed the button again and the lights in engineering flickered on. Belanna turned off the flash light and pulled herself out from the computer. "Main deflector is functioning at minimal power," Seven said looking at Belanna.

"Well I guess we will have to watch our back against any Borg attacks," Belanna joked. She stood up and brushed the dirt off her uniform. She walked to another computer and said, "The main deflector will have to do though. Right now we must get life support on all the other decks and not only on engineering and the bridge."

XXX

Chakotay sighed and stared at the window that showed the entire capitol city. The four sounds were beginning to set and he knew that once nightfall came, he had to go back to Voyager. He hoped by then, the repairs would be well under way and than they'd be able to begin their search for Janeway and Tom.

Chakotay turned and saw Gelvar step into the room. He smiled at him briefly before returning his gaze to the outside. "It's beautiful outside isn't it?" Gelvar asked approaching Chakotay.

"Yes it indeed is," Chakotay said crossing his arms over his chest. He cleared his throat and then looked at Gelvar.

"This view is probably my favorite spot," Gelvar began as he looked out the window. The four suns gave off a radiant glow that brightened the entire city. "I could stand here hours admiring its beauty," He paused then looked at Chakotay, "So how are the repairs coming along?"

"Slowly, but soon we will be on the road and searching for our missing crew members," Chakotay said looking at Gelvar with hope.

"That's good news," Gelvar said with a smile. Neelix promised him that he would make him a Talaxian desert when Voyagee was fully repaired and he was looking forward to it. He paused and grew serious, "Listen Chakotay, I wouldn't suggest going back there. You guys almost didn't make it out alive the first time."

""I can't do that," Chakotay said shaking his head in disagreement.

"Why now?" Gelvar asked watching Chakotay walk to the door on the far side of the room. He knew what would happen if Voyager went back through the demilitarize zone and he know he wouldn't be able to save them again. "How do you know they are even alive?"

"Because I do," Chakotay said leaving the room. He paused by the doorway and then turned around. "They are alive," He continued, "And I will stop at nothing to get them back."


	6. Treachery

**Star Trek Voyager Precaution**

Chapter 6

Treachery

Chakotay smiled at the ensign he walked off the transporter platform. He was glad to be back on Voyager, even though there was still a lot of repairing that needed to be done. Main power was still not fully restored and half of the crew was still on the planet. Even though there was still a lot of work that was needed to be done, but he was glad to be back.

Chakotay stepped over a fallen piece of the ceiling and then paused as he looked at it. A single thought ran through his head as he continued walking to engineering. It hurt him to see Voyager in pieces, because he felt like this was his home. Of course the Alpha Quadrant was his real home, but until they returned, Voyager would be his home.

Chakotay stepped into engineering and was surprised to see it so empty. Belanna was standing right by the warp core with Seven and Lieutenant Hogan was standing on the upper level. Belanna turned around and smiled briefly at Chakotay as he approached. He smiled back at her and then asked, "What's our status?"

"Better than I thought," Belanna said with a pleased smile. She took a step toward and said, "Main power in fact has been restored but, warp drive and weapons are off-line. We will have it restored in another sixteen hours."

"Can you speed up the process?" Chakotay asked as Seven turned and looked at him as if he had just asked a stupid question.

"When I say sixteen hours commander," Belanna said in a stressful tone, which didn't surprised him. He knew how hard she was working to get Voyager fully restored. "I mean that is the earliest I can get it."

"I know what you are going through right now," Chakotay said reaching out and touching Belanna on the shoulder affectionately. "Hell, we are all feeling it." He paused and let go of her shoulder, "You have done a good job."

Chakotay smiled at her and Seven and then walked out of engineering. He shook his head as he stepped over another broken piece of Voyager. He knew that Belanna would get it done in less time she had told him. It always worked out that way. She was the best engineering he had ever worked with and he always boasted about that, long before he was on Voyager.

Chakotay turned and smiled at Ensign Larson who had stepped out of the turbo-lift as he returned to engineering. Chakotay stepped into the turbo-lift and said after the doors slid closed, "Bridge." Now that repairs were ahead of schedule, the crew members still on the planet will be able to return to Voyager and then the search would begin. It wouldn't be easy, but he knew that they were alive. He had this feeling that they had survived and would not sop the search until he found them.

He was worried about the Gintar and the Elmar. They had no information on them and the Artilians didn't seem willing to give them any information either. In fact, the only Artilian that was helpful, was Gelvar. He would be lying if he said they weren't a nice race. They were extremely interactive and was helping in repairing the ship. They gave them plenty of food and even offered their servants for sexual purposes. There was something that the Artilians were holding back. Something he had a feeling was big, but he knew he would never find out.

The turbo-lift came to a halt and Chakotay stepped out when the doors slid open. He paused and scanned the bridge. Tuvok and Harry were the only ones on the bridge at this moment. Harry looked up at Chakotay and smiled at him. "Commander," He said as Chakotay approached.

"Harry," Chakotay said when he came to his station. He leaned against it and asked, "What is our status with sensors?"

"We only have short range right now," Harry said looking back at his computer. "We should have full sensors in seven hours."

"Good job," Chakotay said with a frown. He turned away from Harry and faced the view screen that showed the colorful green planet. "Repairs are going much better than I thought."

XXX

Neelix frowned as he admired an odd looking plant that was at least ten feet tall and had an assortment of colorful growing on it. The root of the plant was a greenish and grey color and was covered with hundreds of small thorns. Neelix reached out to touch it and before he did he head someone yelp, "No don't do that!"

Neelix turned and smiled at Gelvar who slowly approached. "And why is that my friend?" He paused and looked at the plant again, "It is such a beautiful plant."

"Indeed it is," Gelvar said looking at the plant. The plant that almost killed him when he was a child. He was sick for weeks, until his mother found the cure. "We call this plant _Gue-char_."

"Goochar," Neelix repeated as Gelvar chuckled.

"The _Gue-char_ is one of the most deadliest plants in this region," Gelvar said thinking back to all the pain he had to go through when he was a child. A friend of his, dared him to touch it and that resulted him nearly dying. "The thorns are poisonous and will make your stomach start to swell. If it isn't treated, your stomach will burst and I believe that is not Voyager's chef wants to happen to him."

"Oh no," Neelix said shaking his head in surprise as he walked away from the _Gue-char_. "Not at all."

"So I hear you will soon return to your ship," Gelvar said changing the subject. "You must be relieved."

"I am," Neelix said with the best grin he had to offer. Voyager was him home and even though he really enjoyed being on this planet, he looked forward to returning to the ship and beginning their search for Janeway and Tom.

"If I may be so inclined," Gelvar said reaching out and placing a friendly hand on Neelix's shoulder. "Don't go near the demilitarize zone again. If it weren't for me, you would have been destroyed."

"But our missing crew members are in that area of space," Neeliz said shaking his head in disagreement.

"You won't survive another attack like that," Gelvar pleaded.

"There is one thing that I learned from spending time with these humans," Neelix said leaning closely, "They will never leave a crew member behind alive or dead."

"Even if death is the end result?" Gelvar asked with a surprised look on his face.

"Yes," Neelix said walking away from Gelvar.

"Before you go though, there is one more thing I want to ask," Gelvar said, "May I have your recipe for the chocolate mousse cake you make so tasty?"

"I am afraid not," Neelix said shaking his head, "My recipes die with me."

XXX

Janeway opened her eyes and looked around the cave. It was dark and she saw Tom hadn't returned yet. Her head hurt and when she moved it to fast, it made her dizzy. The pain in her leg now made its way up to her back and even though she could move, there was pain constantly shooting up and down her back when she did so. He throat was terribly dry and was relieved to see the water was within arms reach.

Janeway opened the canister and took a long sip. The cool water soothed her aching throat. She knew she had a fever, which wasn't good. Her whole body ached and she was sweating profusely. She hoped Tom would return soon and give her another sedative that would calm the fever. Janeway took another sip of water and then set the canister on the ground next to her. She closed her eyes and fell back asleep dreaming of being back on Voyager.

XXX

The room was dimly lit as the two leaders met. They huddled close and spoke softly. "Voyager will be leaving orbit soon," Dintar whispered looking at the other leader, "They will be searching for their missing crew members."

"Should we tell them?" Feltar asked looking in back of him briefly. Even though the room was empty, he still felt as if someone were watching them and listening to their private conversation.

"No not at all," Dintar said shaking his head. "It would change everything." He paused and then smiled, "I have studied the history of their people in their database and found them to be a very inquisitive specie. If they found out, they would help the others out and that would end our peaceful life here."

"Than into the dark they go," Feltar said softly, "And death will follow them to the end."


	7. Signs of Betrayal

Star Trek Voyager

Precaution

Chapter 6

Signs of Betrayal

Janeway moaned softly and opened her eyes. Her body ached and there was now a sharp pain in her left shoulder. She tried to massage it, but pain shot up her leg when she moved her arm. Instead she tried to massage her shoulder, by just rotating it slightly. At first it seemed to help, but when she stopped the pain returned moments later. In the end she gave up and dealt with the pain.

She sighed and looked around the cave briefly, but she didn't see Tom. He must have still be outside searching for food, water, and anything they could find useful. She wondered what the outside surface looked like. He said it was hot outside and dry out there. Whenever he returned, he was drenched in sweat. Inside of the cave though, the weather was cool and damp.

Janeway felt her stomach growl. She placed a hand on her stomach and her thoughts drifted back to the meals she would have with Chakotay. She missed them and wished she could be there sitting in front of him, eating one of the meals she prepared, even the ones the replicator burned.

Her thoughts than drifted to the crew and she hoped they were okay. From what Tom had told her, the attack was more than just devastating. When he told her what happened, she could see that he wished that he never went on the escape pod. He regretted leaving everyone behind.

She had a feeling, even a small one that her crew was alive and well. They were a strong and resourceful group and she knew that they would find a way out of the mess. It would be no time until they came with an away team and saved them.

The Doctor would both treat Tom and her and then demand that she stay in sickbay for a couple days, to get much needed rest. Of course she would try to get out of staying there for so long and the Doctor would then state that he had the authority to keep her there.

Janeway chuckled and wiped a tear with the back of her hand. There was no doubt that she missed her crew and ship, but it was the little things that everyone took for granted that she missed the most; for example the Doctors growing bedside manner. Or the holideck addictions that Tom and Harry had. She tried to play one of his programs, but she didn't really like it.

Janeway sighed again and her eyes drifted toward the pile of fruit that was next to Tom's folded uniform. He had taken it off when he left this morning. She wondered how he was out there and how much longer he would be out there, before it got too hot. They didn't have the luxury of studying this planet, but Tom said that it got up to 120 degrees by midday. That meant it would only get hotter.

She winced in pain as she tried to reach the fruit with her good leg. Sharp pains shot throughout her body as she kicked a fruit from the pile. She felt a bit of relief when it rolled toward her. She grabbed it and didn't even bother wiping the dirt off of it. There wouldn't have been a place to do it anyways.

The fruit was crunchy and dry, but it was very sweet. It was hard to chew and the more she chewed it, the softer and juicier it became. She swallowed it and took another bite, actually enjoying the fruit. As she ate, she began to feel a little bit of energy and this made her wish her leg wasn't as injured. She was feeling really antsy and just wanted to move around, whether in the cave or outside, although she wished more on the outside part. Tom had stated that there wasn't anything really special about the cave.

At that moment she heard a tired sigh and saw Tom entering the room. He tossed the bag he was carrying aimlessly on the ground and approached Janeway. "How are you feeling?" He asked kneeling next to her.

Janeway decided to drop some formalities. "I feel like crap," She said with a strained smile.

'Yeah me too," Tom said running his hand through the wet hair on his head. "I walked around for three hours and found nothing more than the same fruit we have been eating for the past few days. All the bodies of water were infected with some sort of bacteria that the tricorder couldn't identify."

"What I wouldn't give for a simple cup of coffee," Janeway said with a smile as she took another bite of the fruit.

"Yeah me too," Tom said shaking his head, "I'd even eat one of Neelix's crazy concoctions."

"I will make a note of that," Janeway said swallowing, "You will make Neelix proud."

Tom looked at her, unsure if she were serious or not. "So how is your leg feeling?" He asked changing the subject.

"It hasn't changed much," Janeway said placing a hand on her leg as small pangs of pain shot up and down it.

"I really wish there was more I can do," Tom said scratching the back of his neck.

"You have done more than enough," Janeway said grabbing him by the wrist. "I owe you my life."

Tim smiled and stood up abruptly when he remembered it. He grabbed his bag and opened it up. "I actually found something that you might find interesting." He looked at her briefly as he rummaged through the bag.

"What is it?" Janeway asked looking at him intrigued.

Tom grabbed what he thought was her uniform. He held it tightly and said, "I found your uniform out there?" He took a few steps toward her as he shook the uniform in front of her. "How would you explain that?"

"What are you talking about?" Janeway asked looking at him confused.

"I found your uniform outside," Tom said raising his voice slightly in a crazy way, "How the hell can that be? I mean you have been in here ever since, am I right?"

"I have been here the entire time," Janeway said her confusion turning to concern. "And the object you are holding is not my uniform."

"What are you talking about?" Tom asked looking slightly mortified. He looked at the object in his hand and saw it indeed was not Janeway's uniform, rather it was a torn up cloth of some sort.

"My uniform is right over here," Janeway said pointing to her folded up uniform that was right next to her. "I have been using it as a pillow."

Tom dropped the cloth on the ground disgusted. He wiped his hand on his dirty pants and then looked at Janeway. "Well then since that isn't yours, who does this belong to and where did it come from?"

Janeway looked at the cloth on the ground and then at Tom. She shook her head, "I have no answer for you Tom."

Tom sighed and cracked his neck as he paced around the cave. "I could have sworn that I saw your uniform out there," Tom said thinking back to it. "I touched it and it felt so real."

"Tom sit down and take it easy," Janeway said watching him pace around. "You are putting yourself under unnecessary stress."

Tom looked at her and realized that she was right. He sighed again and sat next to her. He placed his head in his hands as Janeway wrapped an arm around him. For a few moments they sat like that. Suddenly they heard a tree branch crack and just as they stared in the direction of the noise, they heard a gasp from a young girl who was watching them intently with a curious and frightened look on her face.

0 0 0

Chakotay stood behind Ensign Falcov who had replaced Tom at the helm. He had a determined smile as they got clearance from the repair station. Voyager shuttered as it lifted off the ground. Its landing gears mechanically disappeared as they gained speed into to planets orbit. It took a few seconds but they past through the planets orbit and were soon in space.

Once in space, they joined three of the Artilian ships and then sped to warp 3 toward the coordinates of the perilous altercation that nearly destroyed the ship.

Chakotay glanced at the Captain's chair. He tried not to show it, but he felt his shoulders sink slightly as he thought about how much he missed her. It seemed empty without her sitting there. In fact the whole ship felt empty without her and Tom.

He turned and made his way to her seat. He sat in it, feeling sad and almost felt bad sitting there. He hoped soon that he would soon be sitting by his regular spot, watching her and Tom.

"Commander," Ensign Falcov said turning to look at him. "We should be arriving at our destination in seventy-two hours."

"Thank you Ensign," Chakotay said his mind drifting back his duties.

Three days. Chakotay thought to himself. He knew he had to be patient and keep his anxiousness leveled. The crew needed him right now, more than ever. He knew that right now it seemed like a long trip, but Belanna was working on restoring the warp drive to full capacity and once she did that, the trip would take much less time.

0 0 0

Gelvar watched Neelix with childlike anticipation as he placed the bowl of ice cream in front of him. "What do you call this again?" Gelvar asked as he reached for the spoon.

"The computer database calls it an ice cream Sunday," He said watching him take a spoonful of it.

"That's a strange name," Gelvar said with a shrug. He ate the ice cream and then a smile grew on his face. "This is so good."

"I don't know why it is called that," Neelix said sitting across from him, "But the chocolate syrup and the almonds, really add a nice taste to it."

"I like everything about it," Gelvar said taking another large spoondul of it. He quickly swallowed it and then a sharp needle-like pain throb in his head. He made a face, unsure what was causing it.

"Oh right," Neelix pointed out, "You might want to slow down and savor the ice cream, or else you may get a brain freeze."

"Brain freeze?" Gelvar asked wincing as the pain seemed to slightly blind him. But just as it seemed to get worse, it began to fade away.

"Yeah it is a human phrase," Neelix said with a small smile, "One of the many I have learned on this ship."

Gelvar placed the spoon in the ice cream, but didn't take any. "So tell me more about this Captain of yours," He asked leaning forward in his seat. "She sounds like an amazing woman and leader."

"She is the best," Neelix said proudly, "I owe her my life on more than one occasion. She is a patriot and a saint. She puts her crew before herself and as I have mentioned before I would die for her on any day."

"Oh wow," Gelvar said truly move, "You have such feeling for this Captain of yours."

"Yes indeed I do," Neelix said, "I wouldn't be here alive and well if it weren't for her."

"Have you mated with her yet?" Gelvar asked taking another spoonful of ice cream. He took a smaller portion this size.

"I beg your pardon?" Neelix asked not believing his ears.

"Have you chosen her for conjucation yet?" Gelvar asked wondering why Neelix was giving him such a weird look. "Because there are plenty of other men on your ship and Commander Chakotay is extremely fond of her."

"That is absurd," Neelix huffed giving him a disgusted look, "She is my Captain. My mentor. I would never do something like that."

"Well on my planet," Gelvar said licking his lips that were sticky from the ice cream. "My people are able to mate with as many females that we choose. But we can only mate with them if we want conjugate with them. Until we do that, we strictly have no contact with the females."

"You can have more than one wife at a time?" Neelix asked curiously.

"Yeah we can," Gelvar said with a proud smile, "I myself have six wives and twenty-five offspring."

"Oh my," Neelix said.

"Yeah indeed," Gelvar said scraping the bowl for the remainder of the ice cream. He ate it and then licked off the spoon. "My people feel that the more offspring you have, the faster the population will grow. So since that is obviously a given, we take more than one wife to help." He paused and leaned back in his seat. "Whichever male chooses your Captain as a mate, will be one lucky man. I have faith that your Commander will find your missing crew members."

"Yeah I also do," Neelix said thoughtfully, "It won't be easy, but I know we will find them."

* * *

**I hoped you liked it! I will have more chapters coming as soon as possible! Enjoy the twists and turns as the story progresses!**

**shaw 18**

**Don't forget to send a review! **


	8. The Walking Dead

Star Trek Voyager

Precaution

Chapter 8

The Walking Dead

Tom wasn't sure if what he was seeing was real or not. The little girl just stood there with a curious look on her face half hidden behind the curve of the cave wall. She was no older than six Earth years, had messy red hair and green skin. She was wearing a colorful sash type cloth that covered her body, but was in threads.

She stood there studying them, wondering who they were and what they were doing there. She had never seen another alien before. All she knew was this planet. In fact her parents would not be happy if they found out that she was in the cave. It was a forbidden place.

Tom glanced at Janeway who was busy studying there girl. He turned back to the girl as Janeway said in a gentle voice, "Hello there."

The girl didn't say anything. She just stood there leaning against the cave wall, watching them intently.

"My name is Kathryn," Janeway continued, "And this is my friend Tom. What is your name?"

"Kiya," She said in a quiet voice.

"That is such a pretty voice," Janeway said with a warm smile. "Where are your parents?"

Again Kiya didn't answer. She continued to stand there watching them like a hawk.

Tom leaned closely and whispered in Janeway's ear. "During my walks outside, not once did I see anyone else or get any sign of life on this planet."

"How is that possible?" Janeway whispered back, "The tricorder would have definitely picked up signs of life."

"Usually it would," Tom whispered back, "But if there was someone or something interfering with the tricorder than that could be an answer."

Janeway tried to move to get more comfortable and winced in pain. Tom looked at her, but she held out her hand showing that she was okay. He looked back at the Kiya, but she wasn't there anymore.

"I am going to follow her," Tom said standing up, "Maybe I can find her parents or her people and they could help us out."

Janeway looked at the spot where Kiya was just standing and then looked back at Tom. "I don't have to remind you to be careful," She said.

Tom smiled at her and said, "You don't have to worry about me."

Tom turned around and grabbed his bag. He walked out of the cave and watched the floor for her footprints, but strangely didn't see any. He wasn't much of a tracker anyways. He pulled out his tricorder and scanned for any life-signs. It didn't surprise him, when the tricorder didn't pick any up.

When Tom exited the cave, the bright sun blinded him. He took a deep breath and was able to taste the heat. It must have been over a hundred and twenty degrees. He couldn't be out much longer. It wouldn't be healthy.

Tom took a few more steps and scanned the area for Kiya, but didn't see her. He saw heat radiating off the ground but that was it. Tom sighed and turned around and returned to the cave. When he came back, Janeway looked at him with a smile. "Did you find anything?" She asked as he set his bag down.

"Not really," Tom said sitting down next to her, "But it was far too hot anyways. I will go out and search for her when it gets cooler."

For a few moments no one spoke. Janeway winced in pain as she lay down, with her head resting on her folded uniform shirt. Her pants and undershirt were caked in dirt. She closed her eyes and instead of going to sleep, she smiled and began to tell Tom about a childhood story. "When I was young," She began, "My sister and I went to beach off the San Francisco Bay. My dad promised he would join us, but he was called to an emergency meeting. Anyway, my sister and I went to enjoy the sun and waters. We were so excited that we completely forgot about the sun. Obviously we got really burned and my sister was pissed, because she was supposed to go on a date that night. She still did though and actually went out with him for a few months before he was transferred to the Yamato."

Janeway paused and opened her eyes. "Unfortunately, the Yamato was lost with all hands soon after," She looked at Tom with sad eyes.

"Yeah I remember hearing about that," Tom said looking at her as he took a bite of the fruit he just grabbed.

Once again there was silence. Tom ate the fruit, enjoying its sweetness and texture, while Janeway stared at the roof of the cave. Soon Janeway grew tired and fell asleep. Her soft snores soon filled the cave. Tom looked at her with a hint of amusement as he continued to eat.

0 0 0

Chakotay was in the mess hall with a cup of coffee in his hands as he refused a spongy type of cake that Neelix was offering him. He shook his head no as he stepped away from the bar. He walked past Gelvar who had four plates of assorted foods in front of him.

"So I see you are enjoying yourself here," Chakotay said with a smile.

"The food here is delicious and Neelix is the best cook I have ever seen," Gelvar said with a big smile.

"Have you told him that?" Chakotay asked glancing at Neelix who was busy in the kitchen.

"Many times," Gelvar said.

"Tuvok to Chakotay," Tuvok said through the intercom.

"Chakotay here," He answered.

"There is an unidentified vessel that just came into sensor range," Tuvok said.

"I am on my way," Chakotay said as he placed the cup on Gelvar's table. "Duty calls he said as Gelvar surprisingly took his cup.

A few minutes later, Chakotay was standing on the bridge staring at the ship through the view screen. The ship was about the same size as Voyager. It had a large nacelle on the bottom of a rectangular like hull. On top of the hull were many mini cannon barrels of some sort.

"Any life signs?" Chakotay asked turning toward Harry's counsel.

"I am unable to scan the ship," Harry said shaking his head, "There is some sort of radiation coming from the ship which is interfering with our ships scans."

Chakotay looked at the ship on the view screen and then pressed his badge, "Chakotay to Neelix."

Seconds later came the response. "Neelix here," He said.

"Can Gelvar and you please come to the bridge," He said, "We need both of your expertise on this matter."

A few moments later the both of them were on the bridge. Gelvar stared at the view screen with a shocked look on his face. "That is one of the Artilian battle cruisers," He said confused about what he was seeing, "Except it hasn't been in service for almost twenty years."

Chakotay approached Gelvar and asked, "What do you mean? There has to be a reason it is out here."

"I wish I knew," Gelvar shrugged. His eyes were still glued to the ship. "The entire lines of ships were recalled for faster and more powerful fighters. It doesn't make sense."

"Commander," Harry cut in, "Long range sensors are picking three alien ships approaching fast. Their ETA is two hours."

Gelvar turned to Chakotay and gave him a pleading look. "I need to ask you a favor," He said hoping the kind commander would help him.

"Yeah name it," Chakotay answered.

"I know how fast you want find your missing crew members and then leave this sector," He said in a slightly anxious tone, "And I don't blame you at all. But before we leave this area, I don't want to leave any questions about this ship. My authorities would want to know about this. Can we please transport on the ship and just get the answers."

Chakotay found himself smiling at him. "I don't see it being a problem," He turned to Tuvok, "We have less than two hours before we need to leave. Get a small team together and take Gelvar to the ship"

"Aye commander," Tuvok said. He turned to Harry and said, "You have been designated."

When Harry materialized on the alien ship, the first thing he noticed was the smell. It smelled like moldy meat. He felt his stomach lurch and he suppressed the urge to vomit. He heard Gelvar utter a curse word and then vomit on the floor.

Harry took a step and pulled his flash light with one hand and held a tricorder in another. He shook his head when he still wasn't able to scan more than two feet in front of him. His eyes did much more of that with the light from his flashlights. He put away the tricorder and took out his phaser instead.

Tuvok stepped in front of Harry with his flashlight in his hand. There was complete darkness surrounding them and it was quite cold. He turned to Gelvar and looked at him. Gelvar had a sickened look on his face. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"I have been better," Gelvar said feeling a bit woozy.

"Where is the engine room on this ship," Tuvok said, "Once we get there we can get more information about this vessel and what happened there."

Gelvar was about to respond when he heard Harry curse. Tuvok looked in his direction and saw Harry aiming his flashlight at a corpse on the floor. The alien looked extremely deformed. There was a large skin type of formation growing on its head with green puss oozing out from it. One of its hands had no fingers except for many large red tipped bumps on it. A leg was missing and the other had large scratches on it. The alien's face had many noses, but its ears were missing.

"Oh my," Gelvar said shaking his head, "That is an Artilian soldier over there."

"Is he alive?" Ensign Gomes asked looking over Gelvar's shoulder.

"No he is not," Gelvar shook his head, "But I am not sure what caused it."

"We must be on our way," Tuvok said walking away from the body.

Tuvok used his flash light as they walked through the narrow corridor. The darkness was so dense you could almost taste it. As he walked, he found another body. This body was missing both its arms and in its place were two stubs of slimy flesh. He heard Harry mutter something to Gomes as they continued walking to the engine room.

Gelvar was walking next to Tuvok feeling extremely apprehensive. When he saw the ship on the view screen he was expecting the ship to be full of aliens, perhaps even raiders who had stolen the ship. But he never expected to find the ship to be full of deformed aliens.

He wouldn't consider himself weak or anything, but this was a little too much. He wasn't used to such gruesomeness. He was more of a politician. He was a decent cook and felt he was an amazing father and husband.

"Right here is the door to the engine room," Gelvar said walking up to the door. The door didn't open and he walked into it, hitting his head. "Well it should have worked."

He stepped to the key pad and pressed a few buttons expecting the door to open, but it didn't. He uttered a curse word and pulled out his weapon. He shot it at the key pad and strangely the door opened.

As soon as it opened an alien body fell out, landing on Gelvar. Gelvar cried out and fell on the ground from the weight. Tuvok grabbed the body off of Gelvar and tossed it aside aimlessly. Gelvar lay there shaking visibly. Tuvok reached out and helped Gelvar to his feet.

Gelvar looked at the body on the floor. The body was convulsing slightly as its life slowly drained out of it. Tuvok pulled out his tricorder and scanned the body. There were massive boils covering its hands, arms, head, and neck. Some of the boils were pulsing with puss leaking out. There was a massive boil over its left eye, which had puss oozing down its face.

Tuvok looked at Gelvar and shook his head as he stood up. They stepped into the pitch black engine room as a load moan came from inside it. Gelvar shivered and felt scared even with all the Voyager crew with him. He looked at each of their faces and he didn't understand how they hid their fear. He knew they were feeling it, but how did they hide it so masterly?

Gelvar had a feeling that if he stayed closer to Tuvok than he would be safer. Tuvok seemed to control himself even more so than all the other crew members he had met. Tuvok had stopped abruptly and aimed his flashlight at one of the consuls. The consuls had a big green type of goop covering it, which was melting through it.

Tuvok grabbed his tricorder and tried to scan to it, but his tricorder couldn't get a clear lock. He put his tricorder away as another moan filled the engine room. Tuvok turned to Gelvar and asked, "Which consul will give us main power?"

Gelvar didn't answer. He was shaking and was using flashlight to look in every direction. He was trembling and mumbling something that no one could hear. Tuvok repeated the question gently and this time, he snapped out of it. He pointed his flash light in the direction of a consul at the far end of the engine room.

Tuvok made his way there with everyone following closely behind. Another moan filled the engine room, this time louder and longer. Gelvar jumped when someone grabbed him by the shoulder. He turned and looked at Harry who had a serious yet firm look on his face. "We will be out as soon as possible," He said.

Gelvar swallowed loudly trying to suppress his fear. "How do you guys do it?" He asked watching Tuvok at the consul. "I am scared out of my mind, but you guys seem so calm."

"Don't worry," Harry said with a small smile, "I am just as scared as you are," He paused and pointed his flashlight in the direction of another moan, but he didn't see anything. "But over the years I have learned to control it."

"I admire that," Gelvar said.

Just then the ship shuddered violently. The entire away team was knocked to their feet. Tuvok stood up and continued to try to get main power back on. But he wasn't having much success.

Harry approached him and asked, "How is it going?"

"Not good Ensign," Tuvok said shaking his head as his fingers flew over the consul. "I am having trouble understanding the linguistics of this computer.  
He looked at Gelvar and said, "I need your help here."

Gelvar made his way to the computer and looked it over as he held his flashlight over it. He pressed a couple keys and then typed in a code. "You almost had Tuvok, but a password was locking you out." Gelvar pressed a few more keys and the lights turned on.

Gelvar turned off his flashlight, but wished he was still in the darkness of the engine room. What he saw, he wished he hadn't seen. There were mutated bodies on the floor throughout the engine room. Most of them were covered in boils and had large amounts of puss coming from them.

Gelvar felt his body tremble and he lost his grip on the flashlight when all the mutated bodies began to move.

0 0 0

Feltar had assorted pads in front of him tossed messily on his desk. He picked one up and began to read it as he yawned. This report was about a new voting system that the government wanted to use. It bored him, but he had to read it. That is if he wanted to keep his job. He was one of the assistance to the Ambassador who was taking the evening of to be with is family. It was now his job to go through all the reading material and then orally go over it with the ambassador when he came back.

The door chimed and in walked Dentar. Feltar didn't even look up from his pad when he spoke, "I am a little busy Dentar."

"I just needed to voice my concern," Dentar said crossing his arms over his chest/.

"And what is it now?" He asked rubbing his tired eyes.

"It is about that Voyager vessel," Dentar said, "Gelvar joining them is going to ruin everything."

"He knows nothing," Feltar said placing the pad on his desk, "But I do agree with you on the concern part."

"It is too late now to stop them," Dentar said.

"For centuries we have kept this planet peaceful," Feltar said looking at Dentar, "Yes I agree with you that it was a mistake that the Ambassador had sent Gelvar to help the Voyager vessel. He was also wrong when he sent Gelvar out to aid them find their people. But I highly doubt that they will find anything that will jeopardize this peace and out history."

"What if they do find something?" Dentar asked.

Feltar took a few moments to answer. When he did answer, he said in a haunting tone, "Well we know what is out there and let's hope they are succumbed by it."

* * *

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shaw 18


	9. In Flames

Star Trek Voyager

Precaution

Chapter 9

In Flames

Jaddon stepped into his office and approached his desk. He reached out and ran a hand along the smooth steel surface of his desk. This was a ritual he did every time he sat at his desk. It was the little luxuries that he found the most enjoyable. There was something that the touch of the desk did to him. It was almost relaxing.

He sat down in his seat and looked at the assorted pads before him. Part of him wanted to get the work done he had to do today before he ate, but his dual stomach told otherwise. He touched his stomach as it growled loudly.

Before he was able to call in his cook, he heard a buzz at the door. He sighed slightly annoyed and then looked at the door. "It's open," He said.

The door opened abruptly and in walked Sazzon. Sazzon approached the desk and looked at leader. "Sal Jaddon," He said with a sense of urgency, "The latest medical reports are in."

Jaddon felt his heart do a flip. "How bad is it?" He asked ignoring another growl from his hungry stomach.

"Not good at all," Sazzon said shaking his head, "The virus is adaptable to every medical drug we have given to it. In fact since we started all the testing, the virus has reproduced even faster."

"How long do we have?" Jaddon asked suddenly not feeling hungry anymore.

Sazzon didn't answer right away. It seemed like he was almost hesitating to answer the question.

"Please don't hold anything back," Jaddon said his throat suddenly dry, "We are all in this together."

"Six months at the earliest," Sazzon said softly, "Maybe a year at most if we are lucky."

"Are you serious?" Jaddon asked hoping that Sazzon made a mistake. He knew it was a slim chance.

"Completely," Sazzon simply said.

Jaddon covered his eyes with the palm of his hand. He felt his eyes grow wet. "We can't end like this," He sniffled, "Our whole race can't be lost by some disease. It just can't." He stood up and began to pace around the room. "All of our history?" He looked at Sazzon with teary eyes, "What are we to do about it? All of it lost. Everything we have worked so hard for thousands of years over."

"There is rumor though," Sazzon said with feeling. He had never seen his leader this upset. But it was for obvious good reason. "On the fourth moon in the Zeesh sector is a possible cure."

"That's in enemy territory," Jaddon said giving him a curious look.

"Yeah it is," Sazzon said shrugging his shoulders, "It is just a speculation."

"Of course it is and it is a truthful one," Jaddon said approaching Sazzon, "Think about it. The Gintar want us dead, so they create a lethal virus to slowly eradicate our peoples. They knew how dangerous it is and how badly we need a cure. Now of course they have the cure, because they created the virus. Who would create a virus without having the knowledge of a cure?"

Sazzon shrugged his shoulders, but didn't say anything.

"It would be highly irregular for them to just leave out such an important part of their plan," Jaddon exclaimed, "What would happen if the virus contaminated their planet too?" Jaddon paused for Sazzon to answer, but he got no reply. So Jaddon continued, "They would not want to leave their planet with such a dangerous virus and no cure."

"I highly recommend going there and finding it," Sazzon said with slight eagerness in his voice.

"We are going to have to," Jaddon said walking up to the window in his office. "And what is even better, the enemy won't be expecting such an attack on our part."

He looked out into the capital city. His office was in one of the tallest buildings and had a view of the entire city. There was a population of two million. The sun was high in the morning sky, which brightly lit the streets below. The reflection of the sun glittered off all the building windows.

Small shuttle crafts flew by his office window. He got to work early in the morning, but now it was the usual hour when everyone began to get to work. He always enjoyed watching the hustle of the shuttle going throughout the city. It gave him pride that his city was so prosperous.

"I remember when I was a young boy," Jaddon began as he scanned the city below. "I was walking with my father through the streets. He was holding my hand tightly as we were making our way to his office. My mother was ill, so I went to work with him to let her sleep. This was one of the first times I was on the streets. I looked around at everything with such excitement. That was the only time I went with my dad to work and the last time I took that route until I was old enough to be allowed on my own." Jaddon paused and turned around to face Sazzon. "Do you know what I remember the most that one walk with my dad?"

Sazzon shook his head.

Jaddon smiled briefly at him. "I remember all the poverty I saw. I remember seeing children younger than me walking around sick and on their own. I saw elderly men and women sprawled on the streets waiting to die. Yes this city had a lot of wealth and it was the rich who were able to stay healthy. But as soon as the disease got the best of them, they were tossed in the streets ready die."

"If it wasn't for your help Sal Jaddon," Sazzon said emotionally, "We would have died a long time ago. You saved our people."

"And for what?" Jaddon asked his voice shaky with raw emption, "The Gintar want us dead and they are doing a good job in doing so."

"Then let us launch the biggest offensive we have ever put together," Sazzon said firmly.

"How soon can we have a fleet put together?" Jaddon asked his eyes twinkling with the cry of war.

"I will have sixty vessels in three hours," Sazzon said with excitement, "And I can pull ships from the fifth and sixth segment. We will have a total of two hundred ships in the matter of a day."

"Do it," Jaddon ordered.

Sazzon turned to leave the office. He paused by the doorway and looked back at his leader. "We will win this conflict and get the cure. The Zelmar race will not be defeated. We will survive and be stronger than ever."

"We better win this and find the cure," Jaddon said, "I don't have to tell you what will happen if we don't succeed."

"No you do not," Sazzon said, "But we won't have to worry about that, because we will succeed."

"Good luck," Jaddon said.

"Thanks," Sazzon said with a smile, "And good luck to you too."

Jaddon watched Sazzon leave the office. He turned back to the window with Sazzon's last comment ringing in his ears. He hoped that he was right. He hoped that there was a cure and that his people would not die from it. The war has killed billions of innocent lives, but the disease has killed even more. Jaddon turned back to his desk to begin his work, but he found himself unable to do so. His mind was completely elsewhere.

0 0 0

Tom knew he was not back on Voyager. He knew that he was still in the cave on an unknown planet with his Captain. He knew he was sleeping and dreaming about Voyager. Yet even though he knew this, the dream he was having was a relapse of their lethal battle two weeks ago.

In the dream he was at the helm, trying to maneuver Voyager through the alien ships weapons fire. Instead of fighting only a handful of them, there were hundreds of ships. They weren't too powerful individually, but all together they were a formidable force.

As he flew the ship, everything seemed to go in slow motion and in a blur. He heard the explosions on the bridge. He felt the ship shake and the shouts from his crew mates who were giving out orders and struggling to keep Voyager together. He felt a fire behind him, from one of the consuls close to him.

He looked at the view screen and saw the small ship firing at Voyager. He tried to maneuver through the horde of them. There was a nebula just dead ahead and if he could get there safely, maybe they'd have a chance.

Suddenly the entire bridge was engulfed in fire. Tom closed his eyes and prepared himself for the pain, but it didn't come. When he reopened them he found himself in a large area that was filled with brilliant light. He was about question where he was when he saw his father float toward him. He wasn't able to see below neither his dad's nor his knees.

His dad gave him a look of love for a few moments. Then it was replaced with a stern look. "Hello son," He said eyeing him.

"Hello dad," Tom said not sure what to feel about him.

"Do you know why you are here?" He asked floating around him.

"Am I dead?" Tom asked, "Because I know that I am dreaming."

His father didn't answer right away. "It's nice to see you wearing the uniform," He said with a thin smile, "I like it."

"Is that why I am here?" Tim asked giving him slightly disgusted look, "Because I don't have time for it."

"You are right about that," Tom's dad said reaching out to touch him.

As soon as he touched him, Tom was back on board Voyager and back in the battle. He sat at the helm, slightly confused. The bridge was in shambles. He turned his chair around and saw his dad sitting in his Captain's chair. "Is this better for you?" He asked with his arm wide out. "Somewhere familiar?"

"What is the pint of this?" Tom asked standing up.

"You are indeed dreaming," He said standing up and approaching his son. "I want to tell you how much I love you and how proud I am of you."

Tom gave his father an unsure look. His dad ignored it and turned away from him. He walked away and the further he walked away, he faded away. Soon he was gone and Tom was alone on the bridge. He looked at the view screen as an unknown ship approached. It fired on Voyager and he felt the ship shake and buckle. Loud explosions were heard and he was again engulfed in fire. This time when he opened his eyes, he was back in the cave and lying down on the uncomfortable floor.

He sat up and rubbed his tired eyes. "That must have been some insane dream," Janeway said smiling at him. "You were mumbling in your sleep."

Tom looked at her as he cracked his neck. "Yeah it was a crazy dream," He said standing up. He cracked his back and then continued, "I dreamt about my dad and Voyager. In fact I am surprised I slept at all."

"I closed my eyes for a few hours," Janeway said rubbing her arms. It was slightly cold in the cave. It must still be night. "Although I would question if it was sleep.'

"Yeah I know the feeling," Tom said looking around the cave for some reason. "I actually miss the beds on board Voyager."

For a few moments no one spoke. The only sounds that could be heard were the natural sounds from the cave. By now, the both of them grew accustomed to the silence and found it both soothing and extremely irritating.

Janeway closed her eyes and tried to fall back asleep. She listened to the sounds of the cave as sleep continued to elude her. She was still in pain and the rough cave floor wasn't helping the case.

Suddenly they heard a sound of a young child crying. Janeway opened her eyes abruptly and looked at Tom who was looking at the entrance of their chamber. He had a shocked look on his face. Janeway looked in the direction and her mouth opened in surprise. She heard Tom curse as they stared at the entrance of their chamber.

A young child, no older than ten had entered their chamber. He stumbled toward them crying softly. The child was naked and shivering visibly. The child's skin was covered in boils. Some were popped and producing some sort of green liquid. Over the rest of the child's body were wormlike red markings that seemed to be growing on its own. The child tripped and fell a few feet before Janeway. He reached out to her and said in a painful voice, "Help me please."

0 0 0

Tuvok scanned the infected aliens who slowly stumbled toward the away team. He pulled out his tricorder and scanned the alien, but was finding it difficult to do so. The tricorder couldn't penetrate through whatever the infected alien was producing. It reached and tried to grab Tuvok, but Tuvok side moved away from it. The alien landed on the floor and didn't get up.

"I think it is time to leave," Harry said aiming his phaser at the group of aliens who were approaching them.

"I second that," Gelvar said grabbing his weapon. "This does not look good."

Tuvok walked to Gelvar. "Are you sure about that?" He asked looking at him. "We have not found out anything about what occurred here."

"It's okay," Gelvar said his eyes glued at the infected aliens. "I don't want to stay here much longer."

They turned to leave the engineering, but strangely one of the infected blocked their way out. He looked at the away team and tried to talk, but only a sickening sucking sound was heard.

Gelvar cursed and looked at Tuvok as more aliens joined the other alien blocking their passageway. He looked back at the alien and then fired his weapon at it. The alien fell to the floor and didn't get up. He then made his way to the door. "I am leaving," Gelvar said with surprising newfound strength. "And I suggest you guys come with me."

Tuvok looked at his away team and said, "Gelvar is right. We are at risk if we stat here much longer."

The away team made their way out of the engine room as the other aliens followed them. Gelvar continued to fire on the aliens, who slowly approached them and were also making the same sickening sucking sound.

Harry cursed and fired at one of the infected aliens. The alien fell to the floor and didn't get up. Harry fired on another and then another alien as they slowly made their way down the corridor. "Tuvok," Harry said looking at him, "I am unable to reach Voyager."

"What does that mean?" Gelvar asked frightened. "We aren't going to be trapped here?"

"No, we will not," Tuvok said shaking his head as they quickly entered another corridor. He tried to contact their ship again, but only got static. "Gelvar is there a shuttle bay on this ship."

"Yes there is," Gelvar said firing at another alien. The alien fell to the floor. "Why do you ask?"

"I do not know why we cannot get a hold of Voyager," Tuvok said looking at Gelvar, "Since we are unable to get Voyager to transport us out of here, we have to find another way to leave this ship."

"And that way is by shuttle," Gelvar said glancing at Tuvok briefly, "The shuttle bay is on the fifth level. We are on the second level." He paused and fired at another alien. "It is a long way there. But I don't want to stay here much longer." He turned and walked down another corridor, "This is the quickest way to the elevator that will take us to the fifth section."

* * *

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shaw18


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